A new policy from Badminton England states that transgender women cannot compete in female competitions, which are restricted to those “assigned female at birth”.
The policy, approved on 3 August, replaced the men’s bracket with “open competition”, where all individuals may compete. The organisation claims to prioritise “fairness of competition” with this action.
Badminton England “encourages transgender and non-binary players to play badminton recreationally in the gender they identify as” – though this does not extend to sanctioned competition.
Eligibility for international selection is also restricted to a player’s assigned sex at birth. The body “recognises and acknowledges each individual’s right to define their own gender”.